Why Sebastian Gibbs Should Not Do the Navigating
by caughtinthefire
Summary: After a sleepless night spent in the Ezera forest, the Combat apprentices are not expecting anything out of the ordinary when they drag themselves up onto the summit of Mount Paedris. What they come across is sure to leave some pretty big questions about a certain fourth-year girl in their Epsilon Combat class. Oneshot.


**It's been a month or so since my last post, so here we are. This was my entry for the fanfic comp hosted by on Instagram, which has already been forwarded to. Hope you guys enjoy!**

 **As always, I do not own the Medoran Chronicles**

 **/**

'Whose rutting idea was this, again?' grumbled Nick Baxter, his chest heaving up and down and his heartbeat erratic as he wiped the sweat off his brow.

'Sebastian's,' Brendan Labinsky accused. The oldest of the trio looked just as exhausted as Nick felt, his blonde hair forming little spikes and the entire back of his shirt soaked with perspiration.

'Hey!' exclaimed Sebastian Gibbs indignantly, just as breathless and sleep-deprived as the rest of them. His usually milky complexion was now flushed strawberry-red, making his curly carroty hair more noticeable than ever. He was also slightly jittery — Nick suspected coffee withdrawal.

Admittedly, it had been a group decision, when the three Combat apprentices had decided to set out into the Ezera forest after yesterday's class, with the intentions of finding a quiet clearing, well away from any responsible teacherly adults that could possibly discover them, so they could host a party that was an actual _party_. Not the lame ones in the Rec Room, where you couldn't get away with anything. But an ideal party for teenagers, with pounding music and copious amounts of liquor and the potential promise of a hookup.

It had all gone pretty well. They'd found a clearing in the forest that would generously accommodate not only enough people to invite all of the first- and second-year apprentices, but also the fifth-years and maybe even some of the fourth-years, if they were selective with that last age group. But then, the inevitable happened. Sebastian had claimed to know his way back to the academy, when … well, he really didn't.

They'd been out in the Ezera forest all night, stumbling around aimlessly in the dark and searching for Com reception that had been nowhere to be found. Thankfully, they hadn't entered the forest completely unprepared — Nick had wisely brought a small pack containing a few plastic water skins, two hunting daggers and some food. This foresight had saved them from dehydration and the wrath of Sebastian's whinging about how hungry he was, but not much else.

 _I'm never trusting Sebastian Gibbs with any sort of navigation again_ , Nick vowed to himself as he turned his attention back to his two friends. Actually, his best friend was Tom Barrett (who they really should have brought with, thinking about now, since Tom would know his way about the Ezera forest being a SAS apprentice under Hunter) but he was still reasonably close with the other two.

'Okay,' Nick said, taking charge. 'Dawn can't be that far off. I vote we gain some height so we can use the sun to work out which way north is and go from there.'

Brendan nodded. 'Sounds good to me. This party better have been worth all of this shit.'

'It wasn't _shit_!' Sebastian exclaimed, theatrically optimistic as ever. Naturally, Nick shared an exasperated eyeroll with Brendan.

'Hey … is that the Mount?' Brendan asked uncertainly, pointing to something just above the tree line.

In the grey duskiness of dawn, it was almost impossible to see the darkened hulk of Mount Paedris, but Nick squinted a little and proceeded to mutter, 'Sebastian, you son of a bitch.'

' _That_ was uncalled for.'

'Pass on my apologies to your mum then,' Nick replied grouchily. 'Seb, we're at the _foot_ of Mount Paedris! Do you know how far that is from the academy?'

'Uhhh … a long way?'

'Remind me how you're an apprentice, again?' came Brendan's gruff voice.

'Because I'm amazing.'

Nick considered slamming his head into a trunk of one of the nearby trees. Or walloping Sebastian's face with one of the branches lying around. The latter seemed a bit more appealing, but he didn't want to knock Seb clean out, as he knew he would be tempted to. Having to haul Sebastian back to the academy so he could receive medical attention would not make this experience any more enjoyable. And Seb might have been a pain, but that didn't mean Nick wanted to leave him out here and let him get devoured by a Hyroa or something.

The otherwise even ground gave way to a steady incline, meaning that they were making their way up Mount Paedris. Nick sighed in relief. If they were lucky, then _maybe_ they'd be able to get back to the academy before the SAS kids traipsed out to the forest for their evening lesson. And there was no way that Tom, Kaiden or Declan would ever let them forget it, if they knew that the three Combat apprentices had gotten themselves lost in the Ezera forest overnight.

'Almost there, right?' Brendan asked, who was sweep. The bulky blonde was looking definitely exhausted, which was surprising — Brendan was notorious for pulling off all nighters, sneaking out of the academy to slip into nightclubs. Nick suddenly suspected that the blonde just may be full of shit. Just like Sebastian was.

Ugh, he really should have brought Tom out here. Or Declan or Kaiden. Or maybe even Alex, though it was pretty clear she was a lot closer with the two fifth-years in their Combat class over any of the apprentices. (Especially Kaiden. Cue some sly grins and suggestive snickers.) She was nice enough to not decline coming out here, but then again, Nick couldn't picture her at the party that they'd been intending on. It didn't seem like her sort of scene.

Come to think of it, a lot of things didn't seem like Alex's scene. She was mysterious like that.

The ashy greyness of dawn was giving way to the first bleak rays of sunlight, Nick noted through the gradually thinning foliage. He wasn't having as much trouble with the trek as Brendan and Sebastian were having — having a mountaineering nut for a father was probably why. Compared to some of the landforms Nick had scaled with his father and two siblings, Mount Paedris was an anthill.

'I'm starving,' came Sebastian's voice, hoarse and panting. 'Why are we climbing this stupid mountain again?'

'You can just shut up,' Brendan informed him bluntly.

'You got us into this mess in the first place,' Nick added, equally annoyed. He was just as exhausted and hungry as the other pair, yet he hadn't complained. He was seriously regretting actually _believing_ that Sebastian Gibbs had the brain cells to safely return the three of them back onto the academy campus.

They trekked for another few minutes in silence, everyone too tired to prompt conversation, when Nick found something to say. 'We're near the summit.'

'How do you know?' demanded Brendan.

'I've climbed enough mountains to have a good idea when we're near the top,' Nick snorted a response. He dragged his palm across his forehead, slick with perspiration. He knew he'd broken just about every mountaineering guideline his father had ever instilled in him — continuing forward when they had no water, having not told anyone where they were going and when they would be back, travelling without carrying some sort of GPS or map to consult. His dad would probably have a fit if he knew what Nick was up to right now.

Brendan shook his head. 'Let's just get this over and done with.'

'It was fun while it lasted,' Sebastian said, trying to sound upbeat but failing. For that, Nick decided not to snap at him. The guy had now lost all of his humour, which was pretty rare for Sebastian Gibbs.

Another few moments passed, the only sounds being their laboured breathing, their footsteps on the forest's underfoot, and the occasional swear word. Dawn was slowly rising, inch by inch, and just as Nick was certain he could see a lip up ahead, a ridge indicating the ground there smoothed out into the summit —

A sound cleaved through the stilted air, so abrupt and sudden that all three boys jerked back. It was unmistakeable: metal on metal, a brutal clash. Just as Brendan opened his mouth to say something — undoubtedly a sentence containing some colourful vocabulary — the same sound echoed again. And again. It was a sound Nick was well familiar with. In fact, now he was absolutely certain what the strange sounds belonged to: up on the summit, somebody was having a sword fight.

'Is that —' Sebastian began uncertainly, his voice low.

'It is,' Nick nodded, also keeping his voice low.

'Let's check it out,' Brendan said firmly, nudging Nick forwards. All of them uncertain to who the hell could be having a sword fight on Mount Paedris, at the ungodly hours of dawn, they slowly crept up the slope until they were offered a view of the bizarre scene, yet they were careful to remain hidden in the thick foliage.

Two figures, slightly difficult to pick out thanks to the limited light, stood on the summit, slowly circling one another in a prowl. The first figure belonged to a man with curly black hair, his toned physique clothed in a strange armoured outfit that looked like it had been snatched straight out of a fantasy VR. The second figure brought a little more surprise. Smaller, leaner and differently shaped evidenced her as female, and in her hand she carried a blue sword. And it was possibly the coolest blade Nick had ever set eyes on: not only did it have some kind of wave pattern to its ice-coloured blade, but the weapon was swathed in fire. Blue fire.

Damn, he'd like a sword like that.

The flames licked all the way up her arm, and when its wielder turned on a certain angle, the dancing blue flames illuminated the girl's features. Nick's jaw fell open, unable to believe his eyes. He'd recognise that face anywhere.

'Holy shit,' breathed Brendan, just as transfixed by the scene as Nick was.

'Is that —' repeated Sebastian, looking a combination of dumbstruck and awed.

'That's her, all right,' Nick confirmed, eyes wide.

There was no mistaking the girl with the blue sword as the single female member of their Epsilon Combat class. If Nick had though Alex was mysterious before — well, now she might as well be a figment of mythology. Why was she here? How the hell did she get her hands on such a weapon? Who was the guy she was fighting?

Before any of the boys could say anything further, Alex called out something to her opponent. There was zero mistaking her now, now that they'd heard her voice. 'Scared of fighting a mortal, Raedon?'

'It really is her,' whispered Sebastian dumbly.

Her opponent — Raedon — only chuckled. 'I fear nothing and no-one. What makes you think you can intimidate me?'

'Well, this pretty sword might do the job,' Alex said, and with a practised flick of her wrist, threw the sword up into the air, let it spin lazily, before seamlessly catching it again. Nick could only stare. The girl they all faced in Combat class was a bit of a klutz, far from confident in her ability, and at times pretty quiet — but this Alex had none of that, like she'd thrust aside a mask to display what seemed the very epitome of independent, fierce, female badassery.

'Swords are nothing,' snorted Raedon. 'I judge by skill.'

'Try me,' crowed Alex with a slight bow.

The guy grinned roguishly, adjusting his grip on his sword. Then he surged forward, at a phenomenal speed that Nick had never witnessed before. It was almost terrifying, watching the guy lunge at Alex with supernatural swiftness. He heard Brendan mutter a prayer under his breath. Both he and Sebastian held their breaths, dreading the inevitable but unable to look away.

Alex moved.

She threw off Raedon's first strike in the blink of an eye, slamming him into such a position that put her on the offensive. Her moves were unlike anything Nick had ever seen her display in class — deft, fluid, precise, practised. She didn't look to be breaking a single sweat, as she kept up Raedon's supernatural speed. The two fighters had become literal blurs, a splutter of clashing weaponry and shifting limps. Nick was refusing to blink, knowing a single swatted eyelid would cost him, captivated by what was before him.

 _Well, well, well_ , tittered a voice sitting in the rear of his mind. _Looks like our little Queenie had a few tricks up her sleeve._

It was beyond what he thought, well, _anyone_ , was capable. Alex should have been dead in seconds. But there she was — despite the stern concentration the rest of her features were set in, she was grinning quietly to herself, clearly enjoying the rush of the fight. Against this guy, Alex was _winning_. Suddenly, the younger girl's drastic improvement in Combat seemed to make a lot more sense.

Brendan appeared to be thinking along similar lines. 'Does this classify as her cheating?'

'Hey,' said Sebastian sharply, automatically defending her.

Nick was a little more thoughtful about his response. 'If that's any indication of her ability, she's probably holding back when she's fighting us. Which would mean … somehow, she's unable to shift back into her normal mode.'

'She's taken drugs,' Brendan accused. Nick inwardly rolled his eyes: the blonde had never appreciated getting his ass kicked, especially by the opposite sex.

'That's beyond a performance-enhancing drug's capability,' Nick reasoned. 'She's been like that since we got back from Kaldoras break, and the drug would have long worn off. If Karter suspects her of drugs — he's definitely noticed how much she's improved — he would have booted her off to Fletcher for testing. But he hasn't done that at all.'

'Which means?' Sebastian asked, clinging to Nick's every word. 'How can she do … _that_?' he gestured to Alex and Raedon, only for the three of them to pause, stunned silent at the sight of Alex now holding Raedon's sword as well as her own, hovering both above his shoulders, the blades inches from his neck.

'I … I have no idea,' whispered Nick, before they fell silent to watch.

'You suck, Niyx,' Alex declared.

'Are you waiting for me to agree, kitten?' Raedon-Niyx-whatever-his-name-was demanded, planting his hands on his hips with an exasperated roll of his eyes. 'If you are, we're going to be standing here for a very long time.'

'Smartass,' Alex said — and to the boys' shock, lowered the two blades from her opponent's neck and took a step back. She handed Raedon's sword back to him. 'How did I go?'

'Like always.'

Alex rolled her eyes. 'That's helpful. Are you saying you've been dragging me up here for training, but since I'm not improving, it's just a waste of time?'

 _Training_. Nick paused at the word Alex had used. She wasn't fighting this guy because they were enemies — she was fighting him to _train_. It sounded like they did it pretty regularly, maybe even every morning. And if Raedon was the one responsible for Alex's suddenly skyrocketed abilities …

'Even if you _were_ improving, it would be a waste of time.' responded the man, his words filled with mischief.

'Can't blame you there. Anything to do with you is a waste of time.'

'Oh, kitten.' The man said, pausing to polish his sword haughtily. 'The lengths people have gone to just to spend a matter of minutes in my glorious presence …'

'Did they throw themselves off a cliff afterwards?'

Raedon released a bark of laughter. 'Come on, kitten. Let's get you to the academy.'

Nick shared a look with Sebastian and Brendan: this was their chance. The three boys watched on as Alex and Raedon picked up the gear scattered around the summit — Nick, to his annoyance, had lost track of what Alex had done with her sword, as it was nowhere in sight when she strolled over to Raedon again.

'They've probably got a Bubbledoor or something. Want to see if we can hitch a ride?' whispered Sebastian.

'Are you kidding?' Nick hissed. 'And reveal that we were watching? That guy looks like he would skin us alive for spying on them.'

Raedon reached out to grasp Alex's elbow — and then, they were swept up into the air and winked out of sight, as if they had been standing on some kind of invisible magic carpet. All in the blink of an eye. Nick gaped at the spot where the pair had been standing a heartbeat ago, more disbelieving than ever.

'Holy shit,' Brendan repeated for about the fourth time, scrambling up onto the summit, with the two others hot on his heels. For a long moment they stared around — but the only remaining indication of what they'd seen was the multiple prints in the snow, flattening it out in some places.

'Did you guys see what I thought I saw?' Sebastian asked.

'Unless we've coincidentally all hallucinated the exact same thing from fatigue — which is pretty much impossible — then, yes.' Nick released the air he hadn't realised he wasn't holding in. 'We just saw Alex being trained by a crazy man and she had a fiery blue sword.'

'And then they went "poof",' said Sebastian, making a gesture with his palms to illustrate his words.

'I wouldn't say it was a "poof",' Nick told him. 'Maybe teleportation?'

'It wasn't teleportation,' Brendan said harshly. 'And they definitely didn't go through a Bubbledoor.'

'So …' Sebastian trailed off certainly. 'How did they do it?'

'I think how they got off the Mount should be the least of our worries,' grumbled Brendan. 'I want answers. Now.'

'Hold up,' Nick said sharply. 'We can't cause a scene, who knows how that would end?'

'D'you think Declan or Kaiden would know about any of this?' Sebastian jumped in.

The other two boys paused, considering his question. While Kaiden and Declan were definitely closer to Alex than any of them, they weren't as close to Alex as her three fourth-year friends — who more than likely knew about Alex's supernatural abilities and her blue sword. But the chances of the two fifth-year boys sharing that knowledge?

'We should talk to them first,' Nick said quietly. 'See what they know.'

Brendan snorted. 'Yeah, and then Kaid's probably going to get all pissy and protective.'

'Better than us walking up straight up to her,' Nick said, trying to remain the peacekeeper. Then he tried to change the subject. 'Look, we're all tired and hungry. Let's just get back to the academy, have some shut-eye and something to eat, and we'll discuss it after that. Deal?'

Sebastian nodded, instantly on his side. 'I second that.'

Brendan rolled his eyes before slumping his shoulders. 'You know what, screw it. Baxter's right. There's nothing we can do about Queenie when we're _still_ lost in the Ezera forest.'

'I said I was sorry!' squawked Sebastian indignantly. 'Like, twenty times!'

'Stop it, you two,' Nick said, with a sharp finality. 'We're going to work out which way to go, then we're going to get off this stupid rutting mountain and head back to the academy. And Brendan, why don't you kick his ass tomorrow in Combat since he landed us in this shit in the first place?'

Brendan grunted. 'Smartest thing you've said all night.'

The three boys pulled themselves together enough to locate the direction in which Akarnae lay, setting off immediately for campus. It was a long and miserable trek back to the academy, and the whole time, none of them allowed the conversation to linger on exactly what they'd witnessed on the summit of Mount Paedris at dawn.

 **fin :)**

/

 **Soooooo I've been mucking around with my writing style lately, hence any feedback would be appreciated!**


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